Beet-topper.



P. BR'IGGS.

BBET TOPPER. APPLIQATION FILED NO V. 4,-1910.

IPatented May 28, 1912.

@www5/bow f I FRANKBRIGGS To all whom/it may' concern: y

` igoz'asee;

- STATES l-TENT ,.oFFrcE.

FRANK sarees, or` LEAVENWORTH, WASHINGTON.

isEEcr-Torr'EnL Beit known that I, FRANK Blusas', a citizen of the United States of America,

. residing atLeavenworth, in the county of lifter. The. invention consists in the matters here- OkanoganjandfState of Washington, have 'invented certain new and useful Improvement-sin Beet- Toppers,- of which the. fol-f`- lowingfis a yspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Infthemperation of beet harvesters it is desirabletofadjust the top removing mechani In to takecare oftops of different sizes an ,fitr-:is `,alsonecessary to adjust the cuttingme'chanism tosever more or less of the -be'et crown from ,the beet according to the condition' of .the crop, as in one field the beet will` have alarger proportion taken up by the so called crown than in other fields.

This 'invention relates to beet toppers wherein means areprovided for changing and wherein means are also furnished for leaving the* beet row iny condition for t-he removal of -the beetsby a `plow ory easy inafter seti forth, and more particularly pointed out .in the appended claims.`

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a beet-topper that embodies features of the invention. Fig 2 is a view in detail of a cutter and top removing means.

As shown in the drawings a main frame formed of a pair of parallel side members 1 suitably united at their forward ends by 'a transverse member 2, is supportedor journaled at the rear end on a shaft 3 driven by a pair of traction bearing wheels 4,

which are operatively connected to the shaft through the usual ratchet or other compensat-ing drive mechanism.

A guide plate 5, preferably of sheet metal has a pair of longitudinally extending arms 6 bent obliquely lat right angles and pivot- 4 ed at their upper ends Aon bushings 7 secured in alined position near the forward end of the main frame members 1. A gage plate 8 is longitudinally reciprocable on the guide. plate to which it is secured prefer! ably by inbentears 9 at its lower end embracing t'he margins of the .guide plate. The gage plate is bent transversely at substantially rightl angles near its lower end and is soarranged that a rounded shoulder -10 may traill freely on the surface of the ground with the inner upwardly extending arm 11 of the gage slightly'oblique to the surface thereof. The forward end of the gage plate isupturned between the arms I A Patented May 28,1912. Ap'picat'ion med Novemper 4, 1910. serial- No. 5e`o,7eo.

of the guide plate with ears 12 overlapping the latter as a further means forretaining the gage vplate in position; Suitably disposed springs 13 *secured at one end to the gage plate and atthe other to the guide plate hold the gage plate projected to its limit of motion from the end ofthe' guide plate. link 14 is connected' to the forward' 'end of the gage plate'andfhas an elongated slot which rides on a transverse shaft 15 journaled in the bushings 7. A ratchetv lever 16 isipivoted on a quadrant 17 suitably mountedfon a bearing bracket arm.-'18- of the guide plate; arod 20 couples the for- Ward end vof the link 14 with the lever whereby the gage plate may be'locke'd in adjusted-position. A cutterv spindle 21is journaled'l in the bearing bracket so as to rotatein a plane substantially perpendicu'- ,i

.lar to the plane of the arm 11. The spindle is driven from the main traction wheel shaft by any suitable means as for example a beveled pinion 22 on the upper end of the spindle meshing ,with the gear 23"that is mounted on a shaft 24. The latter is journaled in a yoke 25 on the bracket and chain and sprocket connections indicated at 26 connect the latter shaft to the transverse Shaft' l5. i M. l

Chain and sprocket connectionsv indicated at 29 together with. a reducing gear train 27 or like preferred driving means operate the transverse shaft from the traction wheel shaft. If preferred the drive gear 28 of this train may have a ratchet connection notr shown, with the main shaft instead of having such" mechanism in the driving anism. A quadrant 30 and ratchet lever 31 wheel hubs, whereby the machine may be backed without operating the cut-ting mechgage plates bodily '11, kwhose end adjacent the disk has a concave margin 34 corresponding to the contour of the disk periphery Vand'overlapping 'the latter slightly.- The disk itself is pref-l erably dished with its sharpor cutting edge slightly inbent toward the plate arm. A

'gage' shoe .35 is secured to the gage plate of the cutterl adjacent and below the edge disk on the side where the latter 'turns toward the gage plate.

A plurality of studs 36 or like projections are secured on .the .upper face of the-disk and to sweep-the tops 4severed between the disk plates tp'one side of the machine. A rock shaft 37 is journaled in the extremities of the main frame'members l behind the i main, axle and may be oscillated by a hand llever 38 interlocking with a quadrant 39 on' completes the topper.

l' space between beet topper ,is

By this form andl arrangement of parts a either light or heavy crops as the throat or the gage plate and cutter disk maybe enlarged or contracted to allow ,free passage for the beet leaves and stalks.

-Furthermore the cutter may be adjusted to sever more or less of the crowns from the beets and :the studs or projections -on the upper surface of the cutter disk throw the tops to one side of the path of the machine. The trailing markers cut into the ground on each side of the beet row so as to lessen the work of the lifter orplow which usually` follows the topper.

Obviously, changes in the details of construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and Ido not care to limit myself to any particular form or arrangement of parts.

I claim as my invention l. In a beet topper, a main frame, traction bearing wheels supporting the rear end thereof, a guide plate depending, from the forward end of the frame, a Vgage gitudinally adjustableon the guide plate having its lower-'end upturned and extending beyond the guideplatevto trail on the ground, a disk journaled on the guideplate torotate-n a plane parallel to and slightly below the uptilted arm of the gage late whose rear edge' overlaps the diskslightlJ justing means for shifting' the gage plate onl'tle guide plate, and driving' means operobtained which will handler y and con- -`formsto-the cutting edge vof the latter, ad-

atively connecting the disk and the ftraction ,bearing wheels.

2. In a beet topper, a main frame, traction bearing Wheels supporting the rear end thereof, a guide plate depending from the forward end of the frame, a gage plate longitudinally adjustable on the guide plate having-its lower end upturned and extending beyond the guide plate to trail on the ground, a disk journaled on the guide plate to rotate in a plane parallel to and slightly below the uptilted arm of the gage plate whose rear edge overlaps 'the disk slightly and conforms to the cutting edge ofthe latter, springs adapted to hold the gage plate retracted, adjusting means for positively shifting the gage plate on the guide plate, and driving means operatively connecting the disk and the traction bearing wheels.

3. In a beet topper, a main frame, traction bearing wheels supporting the rear end thereof, ya guide plate, longitudinally extending arms on the forward end thereof pivoted at their outer extremities on the main frame, a gage plate-longitudinally movable on the guide plate, ears on the gage plate engaging the guide plate, the lower end of the gage plate being upturned and extending beyond the guide plate to trail `on the ground, a disk journaled on the guide plate to rotate in a plane parallel to and slightly below the uptilted arm of the gage plate whose rear edge overlaps' the disk slightly and conforms to the cutting edge of the latter, adjusting meansv for shifting the gage plate on the guide plate, and driving means operatively connecting the disk and the traction bearing wheels.

4. In a beet topper, a mainframe, traction bearing wheels supporting t-he rear end thereof,[a guide plate depending Afrom theforward end of the frame, a gage plate longitudinally adjustable on the guide plate having its lower end upturned and extendlng beyond the guide plate to trail on theV ground, a disk journaled on the guide plate `to rotate in a plane parallel to and slightly below the uptllted arm of the gageplate Whose rear edge overlaps the disk slightly and conforms to the cutting edge of the latter, projections on the upper face of the disk, adjusting means for shifting the gage plate on the guide plate, and driving means operatively connecting the disk and the tracj tion bearing wheels.

5. In a beet topper, a main frame, traction bearing'wheels ,supporting the rear end thereof, a guide plate, longitudinallyextending arms on the forward end thereof pivoted at their outer extremities on the main frame', a gage plate longitudinallymovable on the guide plate, ears on the gage plate engaglng the guide plate, the lower endy offthie gage' l.plate being npturned and extending beyond the guideplate to trail ,on means .A operatively 'connecting the 4 disk and the ground, a'disk journaled on the guide thetra'otion bearing Wheels. plate to yrotatefila lplane parallel toand In testimony whereof I'aiiixmysignatu're' slightly beki/0W the uptilted arm'of vthe gage in presence of'two Witl'iesses*r plate Whose 'rear edge overlaps the disk FRANK BRIGGS. slightly and 'conforms to the cutting edge of Witnesses: the latter, projections on the upper face of E. W. EVANS,

the disk, adjusting means for shifting the E. EVANS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing` the Commissioner vof Patients, Washington, D. G.

gage plate on the guide'l plate, and driving 

